This Point
by Diary
Summary: "You're here, now," Dave answers. "Now, if you don't start talking, I'm going to break my promise not threaten and/or harass you and call Jamie in here. Do you think you can survive a sugar-high, overly-caffeinated nine-year-old?" Complete.


Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

* * *

"Do you feel I take emotional advantage of you?"

Dave groans, blinking blearily at him. "It's- I can't find my alarm clock, but- What are you doing here, Hummel?"

"And we're back to last names."

"No. Uh-" Dave sits up, and Kurt tries very hard to ignore how he looks in his jersey. "Sorry. I'm, um, not used to showing up in my bedroom and waking me up. What time is? Do Jael and James know you're here?"

"They're still at Mrs Kline's daughter-in-law's shower," Kurt answers. "Jamie let me in. It's ten. Where's your watch?"

Shrugging, Dave rubs his face, drawing attention the smattering of stubble. "I forgot it in my locker." Reaching over, he grabs a pair of jeans and stands, slipping them on.

Kurt bites his tongue to keep from objecting.

"Okay," Dave says. "I'm going to make some coffee, and we can talk in the kitchen."

…

Once the coffee's made, Kurt feels guilt and discomfort starting to pool in his stomach. Coming over unannounced and barging into someone's bedroom is the sort of creepy thing he used to harbour fears of Dave doing, as well as what Finn used to fear _he'd_ do.

"Don't," Dave says, startling him. "Z and I crawled into each other's windows at all hours. You can come over whenever you want. Just don't expect me to be completely lucid when I first wake up."

"Would you do the same?"

"Fancy, New York is a long drive. If I need to talk to you, I do have a cell phone and internet access. And I don't think Mrs Hudson, Evans, or when they're here, Finn and your dad, would take me showing up uninvited well."

Kurt sighs. "This could have waited."

"You're here, now," Dave answers. "Now, if you don't start talking, I'm going to break my promise not threaten and/or harass you and call Jamie in here. Do you think you can survive a sugar-high, overly-caffeinated nine-year-old?"

"Has Jael lifted her soda ban?"

"No," Dave answers. "James and I use it as a tool of bribery."

"Shameless," Kurt responds.

Smiling slightly, Dave shrugs. "What's going on?"

"Do you feel I take emotional advantage of you?"

Dave looks at him, blankly. Finally, he says, "Okay, somewhere in that sentence, you lost me."

"I've recently realised we haven't talked about you recently."

"There's not much to talk about," Dave answers, refilling his cup. "I'm doing fine, honestly. I hate my calculus professor, and my cousin's as insane as ever. Other than that, I can't complain. I'm not scared, anymore. I don't hate myself."

"Just like that? It's been-"

"I know how long it's been," Dave interrupts. "I told you before I still wake up gasping for breath. No, not just like that. Like I said, I talk to my therapist about the bad stuff. And yeah, there's still bad stuff, but I'm not at risk of harassing someone or hurting myself. Not that I could that anyway, with Jamie's superhearing and my dad's insistence on checking me every five minutes when I visit. Now, what's this really about?"

"Can't it be I'm worried about you?"

"You're always worried about me," Dave answers. "Right now, you're more worried than usual, and I'm trying to figure out what caused this."

"I wasn't worried enough to answer even one of nine phone calls."

Dave sighs. "I'm going to be brutally honest and tell you that I think you need to look into some free resources in New York, see if you can get therapy, too. You need to let go of this guilt."

Kurt starts to answer, but Dave shakes his head and continues, "Kurt, you didn't even notice me until I started shoving you into lockers. And I'm sorry. Being the only gay kid around shouldn't have made you the one who had to deal with all my issues. But it did. I have to live with what I did, and you need to move on. You forgave me; now, stop thinking I'm someone you need to save."

"Is that you or your therapist?"

Dave stretches and yawns. "Both. My thoughts and feeling, her helping me with the words."

"David," Kurt says, "about Valentine's day-"

"I'm moving on," Dave interrupts. "Kurt-" He sighs.

A tiny head pokes sideways through the kitchen door.

"It's fine," Dave assures his cousin.

Kurt tosses Jamie a sugar packet, and the child disappears.

"Anyway," Dave says, rolling his eyes. "Look, I'm probably always going to like you. When I find someone, get married, and we have a kid, there will still be some part of me who wishes I- that, I don't know, that I'd figured things out without all the bullying crap and just asked you to get a cup at the Lima Bean. It turns out, though, that what you said was right."

"Right about what," Kurt inquires, hating the universe.

"Lots of things," Dave answers. He gives a sad chuckle. "I pushed into lockers, called you names, kissed you out of nowhere, and made you so scared you switched schools. In what universe would us dating be a good idea?"

"People change."

"That doesn't make it any less- you know how freaking screwed up it was," Dave answers. "The thing is, I'd be just like your dad. If my kid tried to date someone who did all I did to you, I'd lose it. I'm sorry I didn't realise all this sooner."

Kurt knows he should let it drop. It goes against all his instincts, but his instincts are partly responsible for the basement incident and for his bullying of Rachel.

David is doing better, and he shouldn't do anything to jeopardise that.

"Just answer me this: If I told you I liked you, that I wanted to date you, what would your reaction be?"

"At what point in the past?"

This point, Kurt thinks, bitterly. This point, where I realise I look forward talking to you as much as I do my dad. This point, where I spent three hours researching Jewish holidays and traditions, because I know you're going to invite me, and even if you don't identify as Jewish, I want to impress your family. Well, not your mother, but everyone else.

"Never mind," he answers. "I just want to make sure I'm not taking advantage of your affection for me."

"You're not," Dave answers. He hesitates, and then, reaches over to touch Kurt's hand. "I'm glad we've become real friends. I still think you need to do something about your guilt, though."

Guilt isn't responsible for the three wet dreams Kurt's had courtesy of the person casually touching his hand.

"Well," he says, "I'll look into it when I get back to New York. I need-"

The grip tightens, slightly. "Stay here," Dave says. "It's too late for you to be out on the road. Do you want my bed, or do you want the fold-out sofa?"

"David-"

"My nine-year-old cousin is here," Dave reminds him. "If you leave and make Jamie worry, I will- I don't know, I'll slip a red sock into your laundry someday in the future. Sure, it'll require a lot of planning, but I swear, Fancy, I'll do it."

"Well, with that terrifying threat, how can I refuse? I'll take the sofa."

Smiling, Dave lets go and goes to fix it up.

Kurt quietly curses and leans back, letting out a deep sigh.

Well, that's that. Dave is on his way to getting over him; now, he needs to do the same, suck it up, and start getting over David Karofsky.


End file.
